Innovation is key – How can we achieve it? 

Innovation is key – How can we achieve it? 

By Ivana Hussu, 12 November 2024

Innovation in the field of global health is the key for sustainable solutions, but how can we achieve it?  

I was not taught how to be an innovator or an entrepreneur during my Global Health Master’s degree, let alone during my nursing career. Yet, innovative ideas are much needed in the Global Health field. But what does it take to get a great idea? Is it merely luck? Knowledge? Means? Does it even need to be a great idea, or can it actually be something simple? 

The 2nd International SIHI (Social Innovation in Health Initiative) conference, held in Uppsala, Sweden at the beginning of November 2024, was focused on answering all these questions, by exploring entrepreneurship for social innovation in health. 

On the first day, we started with an introduction from Mats Målqvist, a professor of Global Health and the director of the Uppsala Institute of Sustainable Transformations. He opened the conference by presenting the first social innovation in Sweden. In the 18th century children’s health in Sweden was poor. Nils Rosén von Rosenstein, considered the father of modern pediatrics, had a simple, yet innovative idea to lower the mortality rate. What did every household own at that time? A calendar. Nils, therefore, had the brilliant idea of publishing a calendar that included small and simple “tips” about hygiene, nutrition, and children’s health. The calendar was a success, everyone had it in their home, and nearly subconsciously improvements were made in each child’s life. 

However, this was a while ago, Nils had means, time and status. What can we do now? What is stopping us from having breakthrough ideas? Might it be society itself? 

No one cares what you are doing. This is how Samer Yammine from Karolinska Institute started his talk. But, if this is true, why do we care so much about what others think about us? Today everyone has the need to become someone, to be different, to get approval and to get that attention from people they don’t know. And on top of all that pressure, in this high paced generation we only have 30 seconds to pass the message, get that interest, acquire some listeners. If we don’t succeed, we instantly become history. 

How can we start developing an idea then? Destigmatizing failure is a great place to start. In such a hectic society, taking time to learn from your mistakes seems impossible. However, entrepreneurship is a journey and every journey is personal. The important thing is to keep moving forward and many times failure will be the teacher that will help you to do so. 

What kind of ideas will work then? There are already so many brilliant minds and innovations out there. A strong but true motto to keep in mind is: “Life is too short to build something nobody wants”. Especially when talking about social and healthcare innovations, we need to keep in mind the people. Make something that is accessible, reachable or relatable. Get to know the end user, understand the problem and build a solution around the problem. 

Any last tips? Yes, never work alone. A successful solution is always developed by a strong group of passionate people. Don’t work in silos, connect, exchange knowledge, and gain diverse perspectives to approach the problem comprehensively.